District Dialog August 2015

DISTRICT DIALOG OUR MISSION: DEVELOPING PASSIONATE LEARNERS AND RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS

LCSD

New school year brings big changes The Lincoln County School District is going into a new school year with significant changes, including all-day kindergarten, reconfiguration of some school buildings, and close to 50 new teachers in the district. Staff have worked diligently over the summer to ready school buildings, including the re-opening of Yaquina View Elementary School which will house Newport area students in grades kindergarten to grade 2.

This year, schools will be configured as follows:

North Area (Lincoln City)- Oceanlake Elementary, grades K-2 Taft Elementary, grades 3-6 Taft High, grades 7-12 (no change) West Area (Newport)- Yaquina View Elementary, grades K-2 Sam Case Elementary, grades 3-5 Newport Middle School, grades 6-8 Newport High, grades 9-12 (no change) Grade level configurations for schools in Toledo and Waldport remain as they were previously, with grades K-6 at Toledo Elementary, grades 7-12 at Toledo Jr./Sr. High, grades K-8 at Crestview Heights School, and grades

LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY Dear Lincoln County School District Residents: Welcome to a new school year! 2015/16 will see many changes in our district, including full day kindergarten and the reconfiguration of several of our schools. We made these changes to improve education for all of our students and to focus on every child, every day. There may be some “speed bumps” along the way, as occurs with any change. We will make adjustments as needed, realizing it is a process for everyone to adapt to change.

School culture is still at the forefront of our efforts. We continue to work on creating schools that are safe and welcoming, and that invite the development of the social, emotional and intellectual capacities of every child. You are welcome to visit our schools by checking in with the respective school office.

Our school board is also engaged in our drive to improve school improvement. They adopted a goal of having all LCSD schools at or above the state average by 2018, as measured by the Oregon Department of Education. We welcome this focus and are using many strategies to achieve it.

I hope you enjoy this edition! I welcome your input, either by email (steve. boynton@lincoln.k12.or.us) or by phone (541.265.4403). You can also visit us on the Web (www.lincoln.k12.or.us), and find us on Facebook (Lincoln County School District- Oregon).

Thank you for being a part of our district and community.

SINCERELY,

BOYNTON STEVE BOYNTON SUPERINTENDENT Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOLS

Newport, OR 97365 PERMIT NO. 83

PO BOX 1110 NEWPORT, OR 97365

9-12 at Waldport High.

The switch to full-day kindergarten is strongly encouraged by the state of Oregon.

LCSD administrators agree that a well-designed full-day kindergarten program can provide essential early learning skills for young children. The extra academic and social/emotional learning provided in a fullday kindergarten classroom will increase school readiness, encourage regular student attendance, and lead to greater academic achievement in the high grades. In short, a full-day kindergarten program can build a strong foundation for children’s future success.

By moving from half-day to full-day kindergarten, the number of students served in LCSD will remain roughly the same (approximately 370). However, these children will be in the school building full time so additional teachers, resources and classrooms are needed. The schools in Toledo and Waldport have classroom space available to meet this additional need; the schools in Lincoln City and Newport had to change to meet this need. The Newport schools faced an additional challenge, with the high school at near capacity with no room to expand. With the reconfiguration, Newport High School has expanded to include the west campus which housed Newport Preparatory Academy last year.

“We are really looking forward to this new year,” said Superintendent Steve Boynton.

“Having our Kindergartners at school all day, along with other changes and adjustments we’ve made for this year are exciting. We are truly focusing on every child, every day.”

IN THIS ISSUE Page 2 - Meet the staff Page 3 - Free meals Page 4 - Don’t miss the bus

POSTAL CUSTOMER

Page 4 - Important dates

NEW TEACHERS

Meet the new staff at LCSD

Front, Left to Right: Jill Pridgeon, Caitlin Olara, Kayla Kratochvil, Jill Keck.

Back, Left to Right: Chelsea Gilpin, Nathan Green, Sam Bond.

Left to Right: Raleigh Bartholomew, Jodi Warner, Ali Spangler, Peter Ellingsen

Page 2

Front, Left to Right: Ashley Widener, Robyn Myers, Shannon Helmricks, Michelle Smith Tami Reinhardt, Melissa Wilk, Vicki Pope.

Middle, Left to Right: Louis DeVille, Miracle Fingerson, Tiffany Buck, Carrie Fields, Shoshana Abramson, Christina Coleman, Debi Gustafson Back, Left to Right: Gene Groblebe, Karl McShane, Ian Schroeder, Cullen Hillis, Beverly Minard, Mike Freel, Leigh Rothweiler, Jonathan Landis, Damian Huff.

First Row, Left to Right: Judy Lilley, Andria Douglas, Susan Paille, Ireen Lapham Second Row, Left to Right: Fawn Ferguson, Heidi Morrell, Rebecca Freel, Rylee Christianson, Vicki Krutzikowsky, Sean Bedell Third Row, Left to Right: Casey McEneny, Bryan Freschi, Rachel Steward, Mandy Deville, Tim Anderson, Andrew Ahrendt Back Row, Left to Right: Herman Ruddell, Adam Martinez, Doug Sain, Ben Ryan

FREE LUNCH

Lincoln County School District will serve free meals to all students

S

tudents and families in Lincoln County School District will not need to think about lunch money this school year.

The district is participating in a pilot program providing all students free breakfast and lunch.

The program allows all students in the school district, including three of its charter schools, to eat breakfast and lunch at school for no charge. No paper work needs to be filed. Income guidelines are not a factor.

“This is an excellent opportunity for all of our students and their families,” said Patty Graves, district food services director. “It is especially nice for the families that didn’t qualify for free or reduced meals for their students but were still struggling.”

The program also will streamline work for food service staff.

“We’ll not need a person processing free and reduced meals’ applications,” said Graves.

In the past few years, the district has used a point of sale bar code system at the end of meal service lines. Either kitchen staff or a student could scan in a student’s ID number, capturing the student’s charge and tracking the number of meals that were free or reduced. This year, no one

will need to be scanned.

While Grave expects an increase in the number of meals the district will serve, additional staff is not needed, she said.

“We anticipate an increase in meals,” said Graves. “I expect an increase in both breakfast and lunch, but I believe we will see a higher increase in lunch. Breakfast already was free to most of our students. Only high school students were on a paid status for breakfast.”

Last year, LCSD lunches were $2.40 per day for sixth grade and younger; $2.65 for students in grades 7 and 8; and $2.90 for high school students. Only high school students paid for breakfast last year, $1.25. Younger stu-

dents ate breakfasts for free.

Students will still be responsible for paying for ala carte items and second lunches in the 2015-16 school year. Extra milk will still be 60-cents.

The program is only for students. Teachers and other adults will pay $1.50 for breakfast, $3 for lunch or $3.60 for a lunch with milk included in the 201516 school year.

Providing students with nutritious meals at no charge enhances the district’s focus on “every child, every day,” said Julie Baldwin, district business manager.

“We are excited to be a part of this program and better serve our students.

“We always do our best to re-

move barriers to learning and this program can go a long way toward that goal.”

The “Community Eligibility Program,” is authorized by Congress as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Several school districts around the country are participating, said Baldwin.

A decision to continue after this school year will be made late in the 2015-16 year.

“It will save our department money on printing and postage,” added Graves. “In past years, we always prepared a free and reduced meals mailer that was sent out in July to parents explaining the new regulations each year, as well as the new applications that were published each year.”

Page 3

Bus Information

IMPORTANT DATES Elementary Open Houses Thursday, Sept. 3 Lincoln City Oceanlake Taft Waldport Crestview Heights Newport Yaquina View Sam Case

4-6 p.m.

5-7 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5 -7 p.m.

5-7 p.m.

Toledo Toledo Elem.

5-6:30 p.m.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Tuesday, Sept. 8

Oceanlake, grades 1-2 Taft Elem., grades 3-6 Taft 7-12, grades 7-8 and new

Don’t miss the bus

Lincoln County School District's transportation services are provided by Mid Columbia Bus Co., Inc. Bus Routes: All schools are provided with a bus stop route book. If you have questions regarding a bus stop, please contact your student's school or call Mid Columbia Bus Co. at 541-336-5101.

Bus Registration: Each year you will need to fill out a new bus form (Request for Transportation - T4), which will be included in your child's registration packet provided by the school and can also be found below.

Make sure you fill out the form completely. When filling it out, please do not use a P.O. Box for your address; we must have a physical address listed. If you have a kindergarten student, please be sure to include names and phone numbers of those adults that can receive your kindergarten student at the bus stop.

Note: Each student MUST have a bus form (Request for Transportation - T4) in order to ride the bus.

Bus Changes: If you have changes during the year, you may contact the school for a Page 4

new T-4 form. When you have completed the form, return it to your child's school and they will forward it to Mid Columbia Bus Co. Emergencies: In case of after-hours emergencies, please call 541-270-6081.

School Closures/Delayed Openings: During inclement weather, please go to the Lincoln County School District website for the latest on school closures or call the 24-Hour Information Line: 541-265-4437.

This information also is aired on local radio and TV stations. However, when reading the school closures list that "crawls" on the TV screen, please be sure to read the entire text; there are times when only certain schools are closed because of conditions unique to their area.

Mid Columbia Bus Company's Mission Statement: We are a people driven transportation team dedicated to delivering safe, reliable, quality service. Our goals are achieved by constant attention to the needs of customers and employees. We take pride in maintaining a positive, winning attitude and by "Safely Transporting America's Future."

Yaquina View, grades 1-2 Sam Case, grades 3-5 Newport Middle, grades 6-8 Newport High, grades 9 and new Toledo Elem.- grades 1-6 Toledo Jr./Sr.- grades 7-9 and new Crestview Heights, grades 1-8 Waldport High, grades 9 and new

Wednesday, Sept. 9 All other students except Kindergarten Thursday, Sept. 10 Toledo Elem. Kindergarten Yaquina View Kindergarten Monday, Sept. 14 Oceanlake Kindergarten Crestview Heights Kindergarten

A printable version of the school calendar, with all holidays and breaks listed, is available at the school district website: www.lincoln.k12.or.us.

SCHOOL BOARD Liz Martin Chairman Karen Bondley Vice Chairman Ron Beck - Kelley Ellis Amanda Remund LCSD VISION: Every Child, Every Day LCSD MISSION: To develop passionate and responsible citizens